God’s Armor

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

God knows that the battle with our enemy is a constant one…and that we live in the enemy’s territory.  But we are also provided with spiritual weapons to effectively fight “against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this world and against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)   Soldiers fighting right now would never think of going to war without the proper uniform and necessary weapons.   But we tend to forget that we are in an ongoing war.   Often when talking about “spiritual warfare,” we turn our heads and pretend that only happens to other people.   However, it seems the more we try to do God’s will…love others…and share His Gospel…the greater the heat of the battle that we are in. Now if this all sound foreign to you it just might be that you’re on the enemies side.  If you’re not constantly in a spiritual battle you just might ought to check yourself because you just might not be fighting on the Lord’s side.  But for those on the Lord’s side you’ll find yourselves as targets of the enemy’s hatred and constant attacks.  Like good soldiers we must be prepared, strong, and dressed for battle. God has given us the spiritual armor we need, both defensive and offensive. Let’s take a look at our gospel uniform!

Read vs. 14a – “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth”

Belt of Truth - God wants us to tie the belt of truth around us tight. The gospel is the truth.  God loves us and Jesus Christ died for our sins. That is the truth! It will hold you up and keep you strong like a belt would hold up a pair of pants. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

          The Roman soldier wore a tunic, an outer garment that served as his primary clothing. It was usually made of a large, square piece of material with holes cut out for the head and arms. It draped loosely over most of the soldier's body. Since the majority of ancient combat was hand-to-hand, a loose tunic was a potential hindrance and even a danger. Before a battle it was therefore carefully cinched up between the soldier's legs and tucked into the heavy leather belt.

 

That belt demonstrates the believer's read­iness for war and stands for truth.   Truth is the foundation on which everything is built. If you don’t know what is true, you cannot avoid deception and will fall to the ‘wiles’ or deception of the devil. There are not multiple truths. The Bible expressly rules out anything but itself and God’s truth. This belt is what holds all things together. Everything in our spiritual life is fastened and held in place by truth. Without a solid understanding of truth, all of our defenses are compromised.       Tomorrow we will add more pieces to our uniform?